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jazzmyne PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 4, 2001
BLACK PROMOTERS
SCORE MAJOR VICTORY! SETTLE LAWSUIT WITH AGENCY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, INC. New
York, NY - It was announced March 1, 2001 that a settlement has been
reached among one of the talent agent defendants, Agency for the Performing
Arts, Inc., and the five African American concert promoter plaintiffs
in the civil rights and antitrust action, Rowe Entertainment, Inc.
et. al. v. The William Morris Agency, et. al. pending in the United
States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
In this action, plaintiffs allege that they have been unlawfully
discriminated against, and are frozen out of the concert promotion industry
by the nation’s leading booking agents, including William Morris and
CAA, and concert promoters, including SFX Entertainment.
The settlement agreement among
the plaintiffs and APA requires, among other things, that in connection
with the promotion of live concert music performances throughout the
United States, “APA shall not discriminate against any person on the
basis of race, religion, national origin, or sex, and shall not engage
in any agreement, combination, or conspiracy to so discriminate,
to boycott, or to refuse unlawfully to deal with or do business
with any person.” APA, which
has continued to deny any wrongdoing, has agreed to provide the plaintiffs
with notice of any planned tours by the performers on its roster “on
the same basis as it notifies other promoters and afford them an opportunity
to submit bids to promote such concert tour,” an opportunity that must
be “in all respects equal to any opportunity” afforded other promoters.
APA has promised to conduct itself with respect to any bids it
may receive on a “non-discriminatory, fair, equal and equitable, commercial
basis.” The
financial terms of the settlement are confidential. Mr. Leonard Rowe of Rowe Entertainment
expressed plaintiffs’ satisfaction with the settlement
-more- stating,
“While most of the defendants in this case are keeping a tightly squeezed
fist to preserve racism and discrimination, Jim Gosnell and APA have
decided to do what was in the best interest of his company and the concert
industry. We look forward to building a positive relationship
with APA that is rewarding for us, for APA and for its clients.” Another plaintiff in the case,
Mr. Lee King of Lee King Productions said, “It is amazing how wide spread
and blatant discrimination and racism is in the entertainment industry
and everyone knows it exists. A long time ago I decided that I’d rather
die fighting on my feet then to making a living on my knees.” Martin R. Gold and Christine Lepera
of RubinBaum, LLP and Ricky Ivie, of Ivie, McNeil & Wyatt released
the following statement, “We look forward to seeing plaintiffs and APA
work together to improve the concert promotion industry, assume equal
opportunity for all, and direct their energy toward those ends.” Mr. Bob Donnelly, entertainment
counsel for plaintiffs, also expressed his satisfaction with the settlement.
“This settlement achieves the most important thing that my clients
have sought since the outset of this action: the right to be treated
with the same amount of respect and fairness as every other experienced
concert promoter.” Commenting on the settlement,
the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a veteran civil rights leader, based in Atlanta,
said, "This is a significant step in eliminating one of the remaining
bulwarks of racial discrimination in the business aspect of the entertainment
industry." Lowery, who founded the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference with Martin Luther King, Jr. and served as its president
for 21 years, has led the black promoters in demonstrations against
Creative Artists Agency and The William Morris Talent Agency in Beverly
Hills intermittently for the past several months. "We shall continue
to protest at the doorsteps of these agencies until we get justice from
them as well," concluded Lowery.
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